Mommy Wolf: Raise A Cub, Claimed By His Beast Daddy-Chapter 80: Culprit

Grishaw followed the Beast King’s line of sight, and his expression turned grim as well.

This subordinate of his was the most disciplined and most talented member of the eagle corps aside from himself. In fact, Grishaw had been considering promoting him to lieutenant due to his merit and talent.

But seeing him like this was so pathetic that Grishaw wanted to slap both his subordinate and himself for displaying such shameful behavior in front of their king.

"Come here and kneel with me! What are you doing, sitting there like an idiot while our king is present?!" Grishaw scolded.

Yet his subordinate remained unresponsive.

"YOU—!"

"Don’t bother with him. He must have taken too much of a sleeping drug. His mind is still dulled despite being awake," Kael said. He turned his gaze to Grishaw and interrogated him further. "What did you two do before you fell asleep?"

"W-we were napping every thirty minutes to preserve energy, just as we always do as part of the eagle corps, My King," Grishaw replied quickly. "Then that woman—I mean, the one accompanying our little prince, handed us a large piece of venison. She said it was from your hunt and that it was meant to make peace after what happened last night. We dared not refuse and ate everything."

Grishaw replayed the events in his mind. There had been nothing unusual about the meat itself, and he dared not to think otherwise since it came from his king’s hunt.

They had grown drowsy afterward. But Grishaw hadn’t thought much of it at the time, assuming it was simply the result of overeating.

"Did your subordinate eat more than you?" Kael asked.

"Yes, My King. I only ate about a quarter of it, as I had already eaten a big monitor lizard beforehand," Grishaw answered.

Kael scoffed. "That witch poisoned you with a potent sleeping drug."

Grishaw’s eyes widened. "H-how could that be?! My King, we tasted nothing but meat!"

"That’s because she possesses extensive knowledge of plants," Kael replied disdainfully. "She must know how to produce sleeping drugs that are odorless, colorless, and tasteless."

Despite being angry at what she had done, Kael was also genuinely impressed. Poisoning his subordinates under his very nose, using the meat that he hunted, and freeing that damned tiger. She was bold—perhaps too bold for her own good.

His gaze shifted eastward. He could still catch Marik’s scent, but it was far too faint to track now.

’Jing Forest, huh?’ Kael guessed. That direction led toward the border between Roc Forest and Jing Forest.

’No matter. I’ll find that tiger again eventually.But I have a far bigger problem to deal with right now.’

Kael turned west, toward where Sisi had gone.

Her scent was still strong. Much easier to follow than Marik’s.

Sisi possessed a unique fragrance. Sweet and alluring, like a rare flower hidden deep within an untouched forest, giving her a hint of mystery.

Yet that scent never lingered long. After a moment, it would rot in his senses, like decaying fruit crawling with maggots, repulsive and unbearable.

At first, Kael had been confused by the drastic change. Eventually, he concluded it was simply her nature as a witch. No matter how beautiful she appeared, her true essence could not escape his sharp senses.

Jojo, who had been silently observing everything, finally spoke. "Daddy... does that mean Uncle Marik is free?"

"...He escaped," Kael said. "Most likely to Jing Forest. We won’t be executing him after all. What a waste. I should’ve killed him last night."

"R-really?" Jojo’s eyes glimmered with hope.

He had never truly believed this crimson-eyed demon when he said Uncle Marik was responsible for separating him from his father. Knowing Uncle Marik was alive—even if they could never meet again—made him happy.

Kael noticed Jojo’s reaction and scowled. "You’re too soft-hearted, Jojo. Didn’t I tell you he’s our enemy? Eliminating one’s enemy is necessary to prevent future threats."

"But he’s very kind to me, Daddy. I don’t want him to die," Jojo replied softly. "He protected Sisi and I, taught me how to hunt, and help me skin our hunt faster!"

"He was toying with you!" Kael snapped.

Jojo flinched and fell silent, lowering his head and fiddling nervously with his fingers.

Kael gritted his teeth.

He realized he had yelled at his son, something he had never done before.

But since accepting the Dusk Star curse, his temperament had changed. He had grown more impatient, less forgiving, and downright cruel at times. 𝒇𝒓𝙚𝒆𝔀𝓮𝓫𝒏𝓸𝙫𝓮𝓵.𝓬𝙤𝙢

He just hadn’t expected that darkness to spill over and scared Jojo as well.

Taking a deep breath, Kael said, "I’m sorry, Jojo. Daddy is... upset. Our enemy escaped, and the one who helped him is—"

He stopped himself.

First, he needed to confront that witch before he could say it to Jojo.

Following Sisi’s scent, Kael found her plucking mushrooms from the bark of a tree.

She looked serene. Sunlight illuminated her figure, making her appear ethereal and pure.

Rather than a witch, she resembled a faerie.

But Kael knew better than to be deceived by appearances.

He rushed forward and seized her injured shoulder.

Sisi gasped as she was yanked backward, dropping all the mushrooms she had gathered. She was slammed against the tree, forced to face the enraged Beast King, with his crimson eyes glowed with malice.

Jojo gasped in horror. He lunged forward, clawing at Kael’s neck and screaming,"Daddy, don’t hurt Sisi again! You promised you wouldn’t hurt her if I hunted every day for you!"

Kael ignored him and set him down roughly. He wouldn’t allow his son’s bias to cloud his judgment.

Jojo didn’t give up. He tried to bite Kael’s leg, but just like last night, Kael’s skin was hard as stone. Jojo nearly broke his fangs and claws trying to attack this crimson-eyed demon.

"Got anything to say after freeing that damned tiger, you devious witch?" Kael sneered."I’ve never seen anyone as daring as you in my life."